Meopham mum says paediatric assessment waits neglectful

Sarah with her twin daughters Iris (L) and Astrid (R)

A mother of twins with cerebral palsy has said delays in NHS assessments for children with additional needs are tantamount to neglect.

Sarah from Meopham, Kent, was told the twins would wait a year to be seen by a specialist after raising development concerns.

Sarah said she "had to keep arguing" and "pushing back".

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) apologised and said demand for assessments had increased.

Sarah first raised concerns about Astrid and Iris' development with her health visitor, ahead of a scheduled 12-month developmental review after noticing one of the girls would "drag herself along" when crawling and had "a really obvious squint".

She chased the trust when there was no improvement six months later but was told an assessment would not happen before February 2024 - a year after raising initial concerns.

"It wasn't until I'd messaged the MP and my councillor that my daughters were seen by a paediatrician that then gave them the diagnosis of cerebral palsy," Sarah said.

"I was made to feel stupid and that I had to keep on arguing and I had to keep on pushing back."

Sarah paid privately for the girls to receive treatment whilst waiting for an NHS specialist.

Karen Parsler from Step and Learn in Rochester said more families were being referred to the charity

Charities say early assessment and intervention can make a huge difference to children with additional needs.

Karen Parsler from Step and Learn, a donation-led charity in Rochester offering free support and physical therapy sessions for families in Kent, said many families were directed to them for help because of current pressure on the NHS.

"In the past NHS physios and therapists that work at the children's centres wouldn't recommend us but now most of our referrals are via those therapists at the NHS saying: 'Look we can't see you regularly try Step and Learn'," she said.

KCHFT said in a statement: "Nationally, demand for community paediatrics assessments has increased. At KCHFT we now receive 100 more referrals each month than we did a year ago. This means families are experiencing long waits. We know how challenging and frustrating this is for parents, carers and our staff.

"We're working hard to improve access to our service and apologise for the delays families are experiencing."

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